Book Review: The Jennifer Morgue

Review:  #757
Title:  The Jennifer Morgue
Series:  The Laundry Files - 2nd book
Author:  Charles Stross
Read Before:  no
Comments:  The Jennifer Morgue contains a much more coherent and easier to follow story than the first novel (which was confusingly split into smaller discrete plots).  The author still bombards the reader with heaps of technical concepts with little in the way of explanations on what it does, what it means and how it works.  Thankfully, it is easier to absorb this time around and we get a very interesting plot to boot.  Bob is sent onto a mission to stop a rich megalomaniac from taking over the world.  The way that the megalomaniac executes his plans is one of the most intriguing plot devices in the series thus far.  Bob himself, along with the reader, is kept in the dark for most of the time but he is joined by a few new characters that are equally charming.  The events practically boil down to Bob and his partner, needing to stop the villain from retrieving from the bottom of the ocean a superweapon but with plenty of twists and red herrings along the way.
Rating:  6.5/10

Goosebumps (2015)

Based on the popular book series of the same name, Goosebumps isn't an adaptation of any particular book but rather has a neat concept in that it follows the author R.L. Stine and how the characters in his series materialize in the real world.  Unfortunately, the film is off to a shaky and slow start, taking more than twenty minutes before the actual plot comes into play.  It spends the beginning trying to accustom the viewer to its lead but it doesn't quite work.  The film also has many moments of cringeworthy dialogue.  Once the Goosebump characters do start to come into the real world, the fun starts and if you are a fan of the books, it is fairly nostalgic to recognize those characters.  The CGI used for the monsters is weak in this day and age and breaks the immersion somewhat though.  In the end, the plot doesn't get much more than running away from the monsters while trying to think up of a plan to get them back inside their books.  It's filled with the typical moments of love blossoming and the "twist" ending is expected.  Overall, Goosebumps is an above average film but only if you're forgiving about its various flaws.

Assassination Classroom (2015)

Assassination Classroom is based on the manga series with a first season comprising of 22 episodes.  The first episode starts off showing off the moon which is mostly destroyed with the remains in the shape of a crescent.  We are introduced to the being that so easily destroyed it... being a yellow octopus-like thing.  The octopus thing states that he will destroy the Earth in one year's time but makes a deal with the Japanese government to teach Class 3E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School for that period.  The class names him Koro-sensei.

Due to the class's situation of seeing Koro-sensei everyday, they are in the prime position of assassinating him before he destroys the Earth.  To sweeten the deal, the government is offering 10 million yen to anyone who succeeds.  To make this a kid-friendly show, we are told that the government has provided the students with various weapons that can only hurt Koro-sensei and are harmless to humans (such as rubbery knives and pellets as bullets).  The in-universe explanation is that Koro-sensei cannot be hurt by conventional weapons.  However, Koro-sensei is extremely intelligent and clever enough to see assassination attempts from ways off and avoid any sort of attack with his extreme speed reaching mach 20.

The twist here is that Koro-sensei is actually a great teacher and you start to see that he cares for his students and understands them well.  Going so far as to help them improve upon their grades.  This is because while Kunugigaoka Junior High is a prestigious school, Class 3E is the dregs of the dregs, being placed there means that there is no hope for you.  Class 3E is basically used as a catalyst and motivation for the rest of the school to not end up like them.  Class 3E is taught at a satellite campus, all alone in an old building.

Class 3E is often bullied and looked down upon with the Principal encouraging this type of behaviour.  It is infuriating when you see this happen.  Class 3E does get their comeuppance from time to time but it is not enough.  However, through this, you see the bond becomes stronger between the students and Koro-sensei.  This leads to the suspicion on when the time comes, will the students actually be able to really assassinate him?  The constant clash of Class 3E against the rest of the school and trying to prove that they are better than what everyone else thinks of them is a spectacle.

During the clashes between the Class and the rest of the school, the best part is that you aren't even sure of whether they will win this time or not, but you sure hope that they will.  As expected, there is a huge cast of characters being all the students in the class plus Koro-sensei.  It takes a while until you start to recognize the characters and their personalities.  The series does a good job at familiarizing the viewer with most of the characters.  There are various standouts such as Karma, the "main" character Nagisa, and of course, Koro-sensei.

Koro-sensei gets stronger as the series progresses, with abilities such as making multiple copies of himself to personally tutor each student individually at the same time, to jumping to another country in the span of a few minutes to buy some local delicacy.  He's even shown at one point to spend only a few seconds to revamp the overgrown land in front of the building into a proper running track and soccer field.  Despite all this, Koro-sensei's past is shrouded in mystery.  All we are revealed at first is that he is the result of some sort of secret government experiment.

There are small hints scattered here and there throughout the episodes on what exactly happened to Koro-sensei and his reasons for destroying the Earth and teaching Class 3E.  As the government cannot rely solely on the students to kill Koro-sensei, various other professional assassins arrive to try to assassinate the target.  Some will end up staying on as "teachers", while others are curbstomped and never to be seen again.  The first few episodes start off slow and you wonder how the premise will manage to keep the series going since it seemed like it will start to become a "assassin of the week" type of format.

The baseball episode midway through the season shows off the culmination of the class's efforts.  From the unfair disadvantage the team had against the overwhelmingly powerful baseball team, they use strategy to try and win.  More importantly, it shows off the hidden contest between the teaching methods of Koro-sensei and the Principal of the school (who wishes to continue to push down Class 3E as the lowest of the scum).  The game is filled with tension and the result of the baseball game swings both ways multiple times.  This ends up being one of the best episodes in the series and if the anime hadn't sold you before that point, this episode will.

The second half of the season doesn't let up and concludes into a tense and satisfying ending.  The stakes are high and Nagisa, along with the rest of the characters, truly shows off their potential as assassins, displaying all of what they have learned.  Overall, Assassination Classroom is a fantastic anime that ends up being a perfect blend of drama and comedy.  All of the cast are charming and the events that the class goes through are fun and tense.  You can't help but cheer on for Class 3E as they slowly overcome their situation and their struggles.

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Book Review: Sword Art Online: Progressive Vol. 2

Review:  #756
Title:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive Vol. 2
Series:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive - 2nd volume
Author:  Reki Kawahara
Read Before:  no
Comments:  After Diavel falls down during the first floor’s boss, it is up to Kirito and Asuna to take the lead and conquer their way to the second floor.  Unfortunately, like all versions of Sword Art Online (whether it is the anime, light novel or manga), it must cover the cringeworthy moment of Kirito accepting the bad guy’s mantle and being called a “beater” (beta tester + cheater).  Once you’ve skimmed over that, Kirito and Asuna pair up again as they explore the second floor and the manga injects a bit more humor and nuances compared to the light novel, which is welcome as it feels different enough that you’re not retreading the same thing once again.  The budding romance between Kirito and Asuna is quite obvious, to the point that several characters have started teasing them about it.
Rating:  6.5/10

The Last Guardian VR Demo (PS4 / PSVR)

The Last Guardian VR Demo is a tech demo for the PlayStation VR.  It utilizes the same setting as The Last Guardian with the player as the boy, interacting with the creature Trico.  The player plays from a first-person perspective.  To minimize motion sickness, you cannot walk freely, only look around.  To get to another point, there are specific teleport points where if you look at it, you can decide to warp there (the screen fades to black before reappearing at the different spot).

The gameplay is very light.  Apart from teleporting from place to place (and as you advance the game, you cannot return to previous spots, they just disappear), there will be opportunities to call for Trico, pick up and throw barrels, and pull levers.  The main aim is to just immerse yourself into its world.

Being on PlayStation VR, the resolution and graphics takes a huge hit compared to the main game.  This can be jarring at first (and especially in the outdoor environments where it is really fuzzy) but once Trico appears, it is really impressive.  Why?  Because when Trico comes up close and nuzzles you, it truly feels that you are right next to it and you expect that if you reach out a hand, you'll be able to feel the fur.

The quiet surreal sounds of the ancient ruins around you, with just you and Trico, evoke quite the atmosphere.  At various points, you'll be able to jump onto Trico and ride him.  These sections are short at only a few seconds, any longer and they'll likely to cause motion sickness for some players.  The usage of the rumble at key moments keeps you within its world and enhances the experience.  As it is only a demo, it is very short.  Depending on how much you stay in one spot to look around, it can take you 20 to 30 minutes to finish it.

Overall, The Last Guardian VR Demo isn't a full experience but it is a worthwhile one.  The magical moment when Trico appears, jumps in front of you and then comes really close is unparalleled in terms of immersion and surprise.  As the demo is free anyway and doesn't take much of your time, it's definitely worth the download.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Power of the Primes Battleslash

Review:  #451
Name:  Battleslash
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Decepticon
Line:  Generations - Power of the Primes
Year of Release:  2018
Size Class:  Legends (Wave 2)
Mold Status:  new

HELICOPTER MODE:

Battleslash transforms into a helicopter but in order to facilitate his combining gimmick, he has an unsightly gap in front.

This is also a chunky helicopter due to the small size.  The rotor spins freely.

Above is a comparison against Beachcomber and Battleslash is average sized in the Legends size class (but small compared to Deluxes, especially when they consider the small price difference).

As part of the Power of the Primes line, he comes with a character card.

A Prime Master or Titan Master can peg onto the tail, either folded up as a cube or sitting upright.

Paired with his partner Roadtrap, they look good together but cannot combine in vehicle mode.

This isn't a bad helicopter mode but it is heavily compromised in order to have the combining gimmick in such a small size class.

TRANSFORMATION:

Getting Battleslash into robot mode is pretty simple.  The legs are formed from the tail, and the arms on the sides.  The cockpit form the torso and you're done.  The combined mode actually doesn't affect transformation too much, sure, there are some joints that you don't use normally but it doesn't feel like it affected Battleslash's core transformation too much.

ROBOT MODE:

Battleslash's robot mode is short and stocky but looks powerful as a result.

The robot on his right arm actually looks good as a weapon, even though it isn't as clever as some other helicopter Transformers in its robot mode placement.

The headsculpt is average but it has a silver paint that allows it to pop.

Battleslash is average height in robot mode as well despite looking like he might be shorter than most.

Poseability is decent, he has balljointed shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.  The feet are large enough to allow him to be stable in heaps of poses.

The paint applications, while sparse, looks good with what we do have.

Paired up with Roadtrap, they look pretty good together.

A strong robot mode and having the spinning rotor as a handheld weapon is pretty epic.

OVERALL:

Battleslash is a fun toy, even if as a standalone.  While the gimmick of combining is awesome, he isn't too compromised other than the huge gap as a helicopter.  Battleslash may be pricey but he is worthwhile.

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Book Review: Cage of Eden Volume 21

Review:  #755
Title:  Cage of Eden Volume 21
Series:  Cage of Eden - 21st and final volume
Author:  Yoshinobu Yamada
Read Before:  yes
Comments:  The final volume of Cage of Eden, as you’d expect, finally, finally, reveals the biggest mystery of all, what happened to the group and the purpose of the island.  While plenty of hints had already been provided in previous volumes such that the reader can guess what has happened, we get confirmation here and the truth, while makes sense in a lot of areas, has plenty more other contradictions.  It does display a really sad moment though through the scenes in leading to how the island became the way it was, once it hits the reader on the amount of the effort and never reaping the results/rewards, you feel sorry for the characters.  Otherwise, you can tell that the author ran out of time and had to wrap up the story quickly because there are gaping plot holes, plenty of unexplained phenomenon’s that are brushed over, abandoned arcs and questionable character motivations.  The story bit off more than it could chew since there was an interesting concept but could only deliver about 50% of it.
Rating:  6/10

Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova Cadenza- (2015)

Arpeggio of Blue Steel - Ars Nova Cadenza- is the second and final film following the anime series.  While the first movie was a recap movie with 40 mins of new footage at the end, Cadenza is all-new animation.  It is recommended to have watched the first movie because it sets up the plot for this one and thus can get a little bit confusing at the various new characters and why Iona is suddenly weaker.  Nevertheless, it is still not too hard to follow.  The animation is a step up from the TV series and looks great.  The set pieces are fun to watch, even though it is somewhat weird to see battleships submerging, flying around and breaking apart to fire lasers, they're exciting and suitably epic.  Due to Iona's weakening of her powers, it keeps you in suspense on how Gunzou and team will be able to get out of the sticky situations they get in with the enemy.  The movie does tend to use common plot devices such as the other characters coming into save the day.  The plot pretty much boils down to Gunzou needing to head and meet up with the leader of the Fleet of Fog (sentient warships who wants to eliminate humanity).  It elaborates on Gunzou's mysterious father and while it doesn't address the origins of the Fleet of Fog, the movie serves as a satisfactory ending to the anime.  The ending in particular was done well, with a nice and sad theme song matching to the surprising events of the finale.

Mirror's Edge (PS3)

Mirror's Edge was developed by DICE, the ones behind the Battlefield series.  Taking a break from gun-toting warfare, Mirror's Edge is a first-person platformer, where the focus is on running and climbing structures as quickly as possible.  As the player, you control Faith, who runs over rooftops and climbs structures.  It's kind of a like a first-person Assassin's Creed.  The game is set in the future where Faith is known as a runner, a type of off-the-grid messenger.  One day, her sister is framed for murder and it is up to Faith to find out who is the real culprit.  She often gets chased by police and security guards throughout, running over the rooftops of buildings and through various ventilation shafts and rooms inside those buildings.  The story is told via a combination of 2D simplistic comic book styled cutscenes, and in-game cutscenes.  The story ends up being quite muddled and bland, unable to hold your interest.

The game is short as well, with only ten chapters, it takes 5-8 hours to finish the first time around, but can be finished in as little as just over an hour by speedrunners proficient at the game.  Faith is agile, being able to run, duck, climb over obstacles and jump over gaps.  The controls are easy to pick up but take a while to get used to since it is unlike anything else.  Faith can also wallrun, slide across the ground and shimmy past ledges.  As the whole game is seen in first-person view from Faith's perspective, you will see parts of Faith's limbs while running and it is one of the most realistic depicts of first-person view in a game since her arms aren't always onscreen.  The first-person view and quick movement is a prime trigger for motion sickness, even the center reticule will not help if you are susceptible to it.

As a huge portion of the game is platforming, the first-person view ends up causing more issues as it is difficult to judge distances and you will miss that jump ever so slightly.  You do not get peripheral vision so you don't have a sense of your surroundings.  It is painful to play when you're trying to do wallruns and yet Faith misses it by just a tiny amount time and time again just because you didn't line up the angle perfectly.  For a game so much about "flow", you are forced to stop way too much in your first playthrough.  The controls are awkward to handle at times.  Since the tutorial only covers the basics, it is not enough for the more complicated sections.  It is frustrating when you get stuck at a level just because you cannot get past one segment which required such precise timing and buttons.

The buildings in this world have a simplistic aesthetic, filled with mostly blue, white and red.  It's striking and looks great but does make a few sections look very similar to something you've ran through before.  To aid you while running, Runner Vision will highlight red objects to show the way (which may not be the fastest and most efficient way).  You can also press a button to automatically point the camera in the general direction.  However, it's very easy to not know where you are supposed to do.  The trial and error gameplay wouldn't be so bad if there weren't some sections with enemies chasing you, shooting at you, while you try and climb and leap at everything in a bid to figure the way out.  No, instead of allowing you to stop and think, the game forces you to run around like a headless chicken to decipher the path the developer wanted you to take which may not always be obvious.

Enemies will attack Faith with guns.  Faith has access to basic combat such as punches.  You can also combine Faith's momentum with her attacks to create a more powerful attack.  Furthermore, Faith can disarm and use the enemies' weapons against them.  Sadly, unless you activate the slowdown of time, the window of opportunity for disarming is too tight to do successfully every time, plus, you have to align the angle in such a way for it to be successful.  Usually, it is much better and faster for Faith to not engage the enemy but run past them.  Even if you do want to engage the enemy, you should lure them out such that you can attack them one-on-one.  Having the enemy engage you while they are in a group is suicide.  Sadly, Faith dies in one or two bullets, which while realistic, does not make for a fun game.  Later chapters have enemies with rapid fire machine guns that do even more damage in a short amount of time, making for a frustrating experience.  Whoever thought it was a great idea to put gun shooting enemies when you cannot retaliate is an idiot.

The game is extremely cheap when it throws multiple enemies that gang up on you with weapons.  At these points in the game, it becomes even less fun.  The problem here being is, the enemies have extremely good accuracy and their bullets will hit you.  Checkpoints for the most part are okay but some sections are really annoying in that you have to repeat multiple platforming that you've already done, what is the point?  This can get aggravating when you are just stuck at one particular segment.  Once you've finished the main story, there are plenty of other things to do.  You can complete speedruns for each chapter, or participate in time trials of shorter sections.  There are online leaderboards and you can download ghosts of other players' attempts to race against.  Overall, Mirror's Edge is a unique type of a game that hasn't really been seen since.  While the concept is great, the first-person view can be problematic, the trial and error gameplay frustrating and the cheap sections with enemies ganging up on you annoying.

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Prison School (2015)

Prison School is based upon the manga series and has 12 episodes plus an OVA that was released with the limited edition of a volume of the manga.  The anime tells the story of five boys:  Kiyoshi, Gakuto, Shingo, Joe and Andre, as they join the Hachimitsu Academy which was traditionally an all-girls boarding school.  The five are the first male students to be admitted as part of a recent change to become a mixed school.  That's a ratio of 1000 girls to 5 boys.  As you'd expect, unfortunately the first week goes awry when they (naturally) break the rules and are forced to go into the school's prison.

Being thrown into prison begins their woes and is also the start of the funniest parts of the anime.  They have to "serve" a sentence of one month or be expelled.  They pick the former and if they break any further rules, their sentence may be lengthened.  Each episode doesn't fast forward time that much, since a few episodes in and it's still the first week.  Kiyoshi is fixated with trying to facilitate an escape and the length that he goes to are intense.  Prison School has a hilarious first episode which will most likely win you over already.  The series loves to make what would normally be mundane events melodramatic and as a result, it creates great tension and keeps it interesting.

Their supervisors are three girls who form the Underground Student Council.  They are vicious and are not hesitant to use lethal physical force, often with accompanying blood from the wounds.  The funniest thing is that the boys seem to enjoy the cruelty that is dealt to them.  Some of the things that the Underground School Council does is downright cruel and brutal.  The thing is, if the roles were reversed, there would be an outroar at treatment of females like that...

Despite some of the most stupidest of events if you were to tell something out of context (such as recording noises to fake a stomach bug in the toilet), the way that these scenes are approached actually gives way to how big a sacrifice the characters are making, invoking a sense of honor and gratitude.  You look forward to what the anime will bring next.  The boys use their cleverness to take advantage of misunderstandings, and how they adapt to surprises thrown their way goes a long way in keeping the viewers engaged.  It is tense in that you are sure that they will get caught but you don't want them to.

The five boys end up developing a really strong bond from their predicament and it is a satisfying feeling going on this journey along with them.  They each make mistakes that lead to even worse scenarios but it is through this that the characters grow.  These range from full blown arguments and bullying, to forgiveness.  You can see the ugly side of some of the characters.  Naturally, the Underground School Council is out to get the boys, thinking up of devious plans such that the viewer will feel helpless since there's nothing you can do but watch the boys step into the traps.  The characters, but especially Kiyoshi, gets into the most ridiculous of situations and just when you thought they couldn't top it, it defies that expectation.

Despite relying quite a bit on crude humor, it's funnier and cleverer than your typical crude humor.  At least it's done in ways that you don't expect (but the various ways of censoring is funny in and of itself).  The characters also have skewed priorities leading to emotional sacrifices since you know how much it means to them.  Prison School has heavy doses of fanservice.  The female characters are often placed in compromising angles but of course, it is all censored via lens flare or outright white rays of sunshine (unless you're watching the DVD or Blu-Ray versions, in which case, it is uncensored).  There are surprising twists midway through the series and while you know Kiyoshi is in the wrong at times, you still empathize with him.

The 12 episodes end too quickly with the excellent and suspenseful final episode.  There's a teaser after the credits where you are hopeful for a second season but alas, still no such luck.  The OVA does satisfy some of that itch with showing the lives of the boys now that they are released from prison.  Since there's nothing to lose and nothing at stake, it doesn't quite carry the same tense atmosphere as the main episodes but the humor remains.  Overall, Prison School is a fantastic series with excellent dialogue.  Although it can be interpreted as creepy and perverted if you're not used to this kind of style, the way the plot unfolds is engaging and the series ends up being quite addictive.

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Book Review: Dragonar Academy Volume 11

Review:  #754
Title:  Dragonar Academy Volume 11
Series:  Dragonar Academy - 11th volume
Author:  Shiki Mizuchi
Read Before:  no
Comments:  While this volume starts off and continues the same as the previous volumes in that all the girls are showing more and more of their feelings to Ash, it redeems itself towards the end.  We find out a huge secret of Oscar, but it is to be expected considering the nature of this series.  Despite that, if you can ignore all the fan service, double entendres and overly clichéd dialogue, then when the fight occurs with Ash facing an opponent so much more powerful than him, it suddenly gets much better and intense.  It is a shame that it ends on a cliffhanger and this will probably be the first time it makes the reader want to find the next volume immediately to see what happens.  The quality of the art is getting better, and the humor is improving with many genuine laughs in this volume.
Rating:  6.5/10

Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series Ratchet

Review:  #450
Name:  Ratchet
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Generations - Studio Series
Year of Release:  2018
Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 1)
Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Ratchet transforms into a neon green Hummer H2, being the form from the first Transformers movie.

This is a nice vehicle mode.  The robot fists are actually exposed at the sides but they blend well and unless you're looking for it, you won't notice it.

Size-wise, Ratchet is shorter than a typical Deluxe class car but makes up for it with his height.  Above is a comparison against Age of Extinction Bumblebee.

The grill looks fabulous with paint apps for the headlights, indicators and bumper.  The only place where it feels like it could use with some paint are the wheels.

The robot weapon, which is a buzzsaw, attaches onto the spare wheel at the back.

A great vehicle mode with no flaws.

TRANSFORMATION:

This is a new mold and thus a different transformation compared to previous toys.  It is simple, yet works really well.  However, a large portion of the vehicle is a shell that collapses onto the robot's back which is a shame.  The legs are tucked underneath the rear of the vehicle, the arms from the sides and the doors cleverly fold upon the shoulders to give him his unique look.

ROBOT MODE:

Ratchet's robot mode is the best we've had in toy form as it doesn't carry any awkward kibble and has the streamlined athletic look of the character model.

This does come at a huge cost because a significant part of the vehicle, namely the roof rack, roof and sides collapse on his back as kibble.

The headsculpt tries to be detailed and complex but feels a bit off here with the sculpted details not as sharp as one would expect.

Studio Series has a focus on scale and thus Ratchet is a bit taller than other Deluxes in the same line.

Ratchet comes with a cardboard diorama depicting the battle at the climax of the first movie.

While looking nice, the diorama takes up a huge amount of space.

Articulation is strong with balljointed shoulders and hips, plus hinges/swivels for his knees and double-jointed elbows.

The ankles are also balljointed so Ratchet can keep his feet flat on the table in a lot of poses.

His weapon is a silver buzzsaw which can attach to either of his forearms.

The roof rack on his back is annoying since it sticks so far below his waist and behind his legs, there's no way to collapse it any further which seems lazy on the designer's part.

The shoulder pieces also don't lock or tab in anywhere so can easily dislodge when moving his arms.

Despite those annoyances, Ratchet looks great and plays great.

OVERALL:

While you may wonder whether we needed a new Deluxe Ratchet at all, there's no doubt that what we did get was a solid and well-engineered toy.  Ratchet looks great in both modes and while it is heavily reliant on shellforming, it doesn't feel like it cheated at all.  Ratchet is another winner in the Studio Series line.

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